“Chapter 49”

"Chapter 49"

"In the following days, they stayed put to heal, meanwhile methodically destroying the roots of the zombie tree."

"But the tree's root system was extensively widespread; within several kilometers of barren land, one could see the roots of the zombie tree just by turning over the soil."

"Defeating this tree by conventional means was impossible; leaving even a small fragment of its roots would allow it to survive."

"However, Lin An's abilities were extraordinarily powerful, drying out even the moisture in the roots. With Xu Fang stirring the soil with his abilities, the dry and brittle roots buried deep crumbled into debris with just a slight disturbance."

"They checked everywhere, even in the distant forests, ensuring that even the farthest roots were completely dead."

"Knowing the tree was utterly destroyed brought them peace of mind."

"The few hundred survivors from Mu Ling City buried their tribespeople's bones in the forest but lingered without leaving."

"As Xu Fang and the others turned the soil to check the roots, the survivors hovered around, wanting to help, but they remained silent and bowed their heads, no matter how harshly spoken to."

"Xu Fang was infuriated, wondering why they hadn’t left, finding their presence bothersome despite having spared them."

"Ouyang Dong saw through their intentions; they sought to be scolded, burdened with guilt. Their remorse wasn’t just for involving these strangers but also for the fratricide among their tribespeople and surviving by sacrificing their kin."

"Being scolded daily might even offer them some solace for their troubled consciences."

Upon learning the truth, Xu Fang stopped scolding and simply treated them as if they were air.

Aside from these annoying survivors from Mulingshi, another matter weighed heavily on their minds.

Lin An had not woken up.

Zombies don't breathe, so the dry little zombie Lin An lay in bed like a dead corpse.

They waited for several days, trying to awaken Lin An, but he showed no response.

Everyone was somewhat anxious, yet clueless about what to do next.

Considering that this state was due to the depletion of his special abilities, they wondered if rehydration could help Lin An recover.

At first, they just sprayed him with water, using a pink spray bottle brought from Lin An’s home, spraying him regularly, but unfortunately, this method was ineffective. Lin An remained desiccated, unaffected by the water.

In the end, having no other choice, they tried different methods.

Lin An felt as if he had returned to his home in Chuxi City, lying cozily in bed, covered in a soft blanket, almost melting away.

Home was the safest and most comfortable place for him, where he lay in bed, unwilling to wake up, wishing to continue like this.

However, the warm blanket soon became too hot, and Lin An started to feel uncomfortable, wanting to kick it off. But when he did, it felt like he kicked something hard, and his foot hurt.

Struggling to open his eyes, he wanted to see what was placed on his bed that was causing his feet pain, but upon opening his eyes, he saw a handsome face close to his.

"Awake? It seems this method does work," Shen Xiuzhe said, looking at the still dazed Lin An and supporting his shoulders.

Lin An blinked, his mind slowly clearing.

He remembered defeating the tree and then falling asleep.

And he slept comfortably; since becoming a zombie, he had never slept, not feeling tired physically but mentally exhausted from not sleeping for over twenty years as a human.

Now, after a good sleep, the whole zombie felt rejuvenated.

He smiled at Shen Xiuzhe, still not fully aware of his current situation, thinking he had just slept briefly.

It was Shen Xiuzhe who, seeing him awake, asked if the water was too hot, and only then did Lin An notice his surroundings.

They were by a river in the forest, with the sound of flowing water and lush trees all around, and Lin An was in a wooden barrel filled with hot water, immersed in it.

Most importantly, he was naked.

The barrel wasn’t very large, but nearly reached Lin An’s shoulders. Shen Xiuzhe was supporting Lin An’s arms, trying to submerge his entire body in the water while being careful not to drown him.

Shen Xiuzhe stood outside the barrel, having just asked Lin An if the water was too hot, then saw him lower his head for a glance, after which the zombie was stunned.

His pale grey skin turned red in an instant.

With his cheeks flushed, Lin An pushed Shen Xiuzhe’s hands away and instinctively hid in the water, whispering tremulously, “How, why am I naked?”

Seeing Lin An could move, Shen Xiuzhe let go, initially thinking nothing of it since they were both men, but seeing Lin An’s red face and extreme shyness, he suddenly felt an odd sense of embarrassment.

As if he had really done something wrong.

Feeling strange inside, but with a calm expression, Shen Xiuzhe said, “You’re not exactly naked; you're still wearing underwear.”

Upon hearing this, Lin An immediately dove underwater.

Though the water was clear, the mist rising from the hot barrel obscured the view beneath the surface.

Shen Xiuzhe originally thought Lin An was just a bit embarrassed and would come out soon, but there was no movement in the barrel, the surface of the water remained calm.

Zombies don’t need to breathe, and there were no bubbles on the surface, making it impossible to see what he was doing underwater.

Shen Xiuzhe waited for a while, then suddenly wondered if Lin An had fainted again, and promptly reached into the barrel to fish out the zombie.

Soon, Lin An was pulled out of the barrel by his arm.

He was a bit annoyed, but even in anger, Lin An still looked soft and shy, his voice trembling as he spoke, "What are you doing?"

"You didn't come out for so long, I thought you had fainted again." Seeing Lin An still shy, Shen Xiuzhe comforted him, "It's okay, we are all men here, no need to be shy. Wu Nainai and Wu Duo are in the RV, Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong are with Xiao Fu digging up roots, there's no one else here."

Lin An knew, but he just couldn't ignore the person in front of him, and he had never been so open and honest with anyone before.

To be precise, he was the only one naked, while the other was fully clothed, which only amplified his embarrassment.

"First, let go of me," Lin An said, hardly resembling the powerful figure who had slain the massive zombie tree just days ago. He now looked like a rabbit caught by its ears, not daring to move an inch.

Shen Xiuzhe released his hold, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes at Lin An's shy, downcast demeanor. He turned to leave, saying, "Alright, stay here and soak for a while. There are towels and clothes outside. Call me if you feel uncomfortable."

Lin An nodded in panic, realizing Shen Xiuzhe couldn’t see him, and quickly added, “Got it, understood.”

Only when he sensed Shen Xiuzhe's presence stop a short distance away did Lin An breathe a sigh of relief.

He submerged himself back in the water, only his eyes visible, the embarrassment in his red eyes slowly fading.

Why was he in the barrel, anyway?

And he had kicked the barrel just now, which hurt his foot a little.

After staying in the water for a short while, Lin An emerged, dispersed the water from his body, dressed slowly, and made his way towards where Shen Xiuzhe was.

When Shen Xiuzhe was about two or three meters away, Lin An called out softly, “I’m fine now.”

Shen Xiuzhe had already heard his footsteps and only turned around after Lin An spoke, examining him from head to toe.

Despite being familiar with him, Lin An still felt uncomfortable under such a probing, deep gaze. He quickly glanced at Shen Xiuzhe and asked quietly, "Why was I in the water?"

"You've been unconscious for seven days."

Lin An's eyes widened in surprise. Seven days? He felt like he had just slept for a while, but it had already been seven days.

"You overused your powers, and your skin was dry and dehydrated. You didn't wake up, so we had no choice but to put you in the water to see if it would wake you up."

Actually, Lin An had been soaking in the water for three days. They improvised with wood on hand to make a barrel and kept him immersed in it.

Since his body was naturally cold, Wu Nainai heated the water specially for him.

It was to prevent Lin An from catching a cold.

Shen Xiuzhe had never heard of zombies catching colds, but he didn’t refuse the kindness of Wu Nainai.

However, this 'boiled zombie' method did seem to have some effect, as Lin An's dried-out skin gradually softened.

But during these three days, seeing Lin An not waking up, Shen Xiuzhe began to wonder if it was because of being in the water too long.

Fortunately, he woke up.

“Thank you.” He hadn’t been awake these past few days; everyone must have been worried.

Shen Xiuzhe ruffled his hair: “Are you okay now? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”

Lin An assessed his physical condition, finding nothing abnormal, and felt much better than before.

“That’s good,” Shen Xiuzhe breathed a sigh of relief.

Afterward, they left the river and encountered Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong, who were clearing tree roots. Seeing Lin An with their leader from afar, they ran over excitedly like two thrilled gorillas, arms outstretched and hooting.

Lin An watched bewilderedly as the two ran straight towards him. He was happy that everyone was safe and appeared spirited, but their way of celebrating was a bit overwhelming for him.

Both seemed eager to hug him, but they were covered in mud, having bickered and even fought over trivial matters while clearing the roots, looking like muddy monkeys every day.

In their excitement at seeing Lin An, they forgot about his obsession with cleanliness and only wanted to express their excitement and gratitude with a hug.

However, before they could reach Lin An, both stopped in unison.

Because Shen Xiuzhe stood in front of Lin An, blocking the over-enthusiastic embrace from the two.

Confronted with their leader's stern gaze, they remembered that not only was Lin An obsessive about cleanliness, but he also didn't know how to handle such excessive enthusiasm.

"An-ge, you're truly my idol, my eternal idol. You're incredibly amazing. If it weren't for you, we would have been done for a long time ago. Meeting you and the boss is the luckiest thing in my life," Xu Fang couldn't help but express his excitement.

Ouyang Dong wasn't much different, still vividly recalling the events of that day. The awe Lin An inspired in him was unforgettable: "I feel the same way. Xiao An, you're the most powerful ability user I've ever seen. Even among zombies, you would definitely rank as a zombie king. You're just too strong, it's like you've surpassed human limits."

Lin An's cheeks remained flushed with unsubsiding embarrassment, his eyes brimming with happiness.

Later, inside the RV, he was lavished with praise by Wu Nainai and Wu Duo. After all, without Lin An that day, they might well have died.

Lin An swelled with pride from the compliments and finally turned his bright, gleaming eyes towards Shen Xiuzhe.

He glanced at Shen Xiuzhe, let his gaze wander for a while, and then looked at him again.

There was a sense of a child awaiting a teacher's praise after doing something good, wanting to be commended but not wanting to seem too eager.

Very restrained.

Yet looking very expectant.

Shen Xiuzhe found it amusing, yet felt a twinge of sympathy.

Just a few words of praise could make him so happy, not just because of his pure-hearted nature, but more so due to the negative responses he always received as a child. No matter how well he did, those with malicious intent would only mock and deride him.

So now, everyone's praise was exceptionally meaningful and precious to him.

"Being brought home by you that day was my greatest fortune." Though they met late, and he couldn't prevent Lin An's past hurts, starting from now was not too late.

Lin An tilted his head, recalling the day he first met Shen Xiuzhe in the midst of these words.

Hmm~ That day, he had gone out to look for food and then found Shen Xiuzhe, intending to drag him home to eat.

And then…

He

With his excellent memory, Lin An could even recall the sound of Shen Xiuzhe’s head hitting the ground along the way.

From the unfinished building full of rubble to the hard concrete roads, and the steps as they ascended the building.

"Thud, thud, thud..." the sound echoed in his mind.

He took a small gasp.

This must be bad luck, or perhaps really bad luck.

He looked at Shen Xiuzhe, hesitating to speak, but eventually couldn't help uttering a belated greeting.

“Is your head okay?”

Shen Xiuzhe: “…”